DIY Tambour Doors

Building the Doors in 10 Steps

• 1

  Use a chop saw to cut your initial piece of wood, leaving an extra 2 inches on the width and 3 inches on the length. Use a pencil to make the slat markings at equidistant intervals along the long edge of the wood. Cut each slat using a table saw. The extra length will provide additional slats.

• 2

  Use the high-speed router, fitted with a 5/16-inch router bit, to make a groove in a piece of test board. Use this groove to test the thickness of the slats to ensure they will slide cleanly through the track.

• 3

  Use the 1/4-inch router bit to round the long edges of each wooden slat. Sand each slat, first using 100-grit sandpaper to eliminate any initial coarseness, followed by 220-grit sandpaper for an extra smooth finish.

• 4

  Use the razor to cut the canvas 1-inch wider and longer than the door. Lay the slats down so the ends are all flush with one another. Tape the underside of the slats together to keep them from moving. Apply wood adhesive to the slats' untaped side and then spread it out with a rubber roller.

• 5

  Carefully place the canvas over the glue and press down firmly, smoothing out any wrinkles and air bubbles with the rubber roller. Then place a household iron on a medium setting and rub it gently across the canvas to help the glue set quickly and keep it from seeping between the slats.

• 6

  Once the slats have set for 10 minutes, bend the resulting tambour to ensure it is flexible and that no glue has seeped between the slats. Then use a razor blade to trim away any excess canvas from the edges of the tambour. Sand the face of the entire tambour with the vibrating sander.

• 7

  Set the table saw to the exact size required for the door and trim off the excess wood from the ends of the slats. Sand the ends with 100- and 220-grit sandpaper, and then rub them with paraffin wax to ensure the tambour runs extra smooth through the track.

• 8

  Create a trim strip for the end of the door using a piece of wood 1/2-inch thicker than the slats, cut to the exact width of the door. Use the high-speed router to create a slit in the trim strip for the end slat to fit into.

• 9

  Place wood adhesive into the slit on the trim board. Slide the end slat into the slit on the trim board, hammering it in tight with a rubber mallet. Allow 10 minutes for the glue to set.

• 10

  Screw in the metal door knob to the trim board using a Phillips head screwdriver. Insert the finished tambour door into the track and ensure that is slides freely and easily.